No More Running
by VerityFrancesB
Summary: An early morning run with Ziva and Tony, written to try and cure writers blocks so if it sucks sorry!


Just another way I wish Tony and Ziva would get together. Am in the middle of something else at the moment and have got writers block so decided to take my mind of it with something light hearted! Set some time during Season 5, after Jeanne has gone, (Mwah ha ha, good riddance I say!). It switches between Ziva and Tony's point of view, hopefully it is not too confusing!

* * *

My lungs burn as my legs pound on the tarmac. I do this run every morning, but some how it feels different; ever since Roy it had felt different, emptier perhaps. I shove the thought of him to the back of my mind and push myself harder. This is one of the only places I can be free, free from the nightmares of Ari, his empty eyes staring at me from Gibbs basement floor, free from the flashing mental images of my past, from the demands of my job and from my pathetic never ending obsession with my partner. However much I hated myself for it, I had grown to love Tony, but knew that it was possibly the worst idea that had ever entered my head. First of all there was Gibbs to worry about, him and his stupid Rule 12. Then there was the inevitable ending of the affair (if it ever got started that was) and how it would affect the dynamics of the team. However hard I try though, I can't shake the feeling that I am meant to be with Tony, the thought of him now almost makes me lose step, whenever he touches me, whether by accident or on purpose, my knees almost buckle. I once again push my thoughts to one side and concentrate on my heartbeat. I have always loved running, it almost feels like flying.

* * *

I check my watch for the third time in as many minutes. I had managed to get out of Abby (only after promising that Ziva wouldn't kill her on Monday) the route that she ran in the mornings. I knew she had been hurting after Roy and I ignored it, after Jeanne left she had tried to make it ok and I pushed her away, it was time to make it up to her, I missed the banter between us. I told myself that I just wanted to run with my partner, to make sure she was ok. My heart had bled for her when Roy had died. It seemed so unfair that my beautiful partner had love shown to her only to have it taken away so quickly. I check my watch again just as I see her rounding the corner.

* * *

My legs suddenly stop as I notice the familiar figure leaning again the fence ahead of me, I almost stumble from the sudden change in momentum, but I manage (somehow) to steady myself. What the hell is he doing here? Only Abby knows the route I take…Abby is so dead on Monday. I slowly make my way over to him. I am breathless and I don't know whether it is from the site of him in shorts and a T-Shirt or the fact that I have just run 5 miles. I raise one eyebrow quizzically at him and he flashes his childish grin at me.

"Morning." He drawls.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, I don't mean to sound angry, but my defences come up.

"Can't a man have a morning run with his partner? Although I would hardly call this morning, more like night still, why on earth would you get up this early on Saturday?" He looks questioningly at me. I smile and shake my head.

"Did you really come to have a discussion about my early morning habits?" I ask, suddenly wishing I had thought out my question better.

"No, but I am kinda interested in your nighttime habits," He waggled his eyebrows at me, I push his shoulder gently. I silently give up the fight for my private time and look at him.

"I still have 3 more miles…you coming?" I ask, and before I have an answer from him I am running again.

* * *

Oh crap, I guess this means I am actually going to have to run at this god-forsaken hour of the morning. I mentally groan and will my legs to start running. I catch her up relatively easily (who knows how long it will take for her to overtake me though, I am not ashamed to say that she is a better runner than me, I am a man, I can admit it!) and fall into step next to her. The companionable silence between us reminds me of how far we have come. When she first walked into the bullpen, I didn't know what to think, I mean yes I was attracted to her, but I could see a dangerous glint in her eyes, (one that gets more apparent when she is holding a gun to someone's head by the way) I felt that she was trying to replace Kate, I think we all did for a while, but eventually I learned to respect her. Respect turned to trust, trust turned to friendship and friendship was slowly turning into some thing else entirely. We already had the uncanny ability to communicate without talking, something which freaked McGeek out, I could read almost everyone of her looks, everyone of her stances, I could tell when she was hurting, tell when she was pretending to be in control, I could also tell that there was a mutual attraction between us. I didn't know if it was just because we are both devastatingly good looking (because lets face it, we are) or because of something deeper, all I knew was that recently my fingers itched to touch her whenever she was around and I made more excuses to be alone with her.

* * *

Tony was doing well to keep up with me. He had once tried to prove to me that he could beat me running and never again tried. I smile at the memory and glance to my left to look at him. He looks like he is thinking too hard. I imagine what Gibbs would say to that comment ("Any thinking is too hard to DiNozzo."). I smile playfully at him as he catches my eye and push myself to run faster.

"Oh ho! So it has turned into a race now has it?" The amused voice calls from behind me and I can imagine him willing himself to run faster. We both push ourselves faster than we had in a long time, me to try and rid myself of the images that are flashing in my mind of Tony and me somewhere else, sweaty for an entirely different reason and Tony to distance him self (if only mentally) from Jeanne. We both lapsed into silence and as we sprinted the last half mile back to my apartment I slowed slightly to allow Tony to keep up. When we stop we both lean over and brace our hands on our knees, dragging oxygen into our lungs. Tony's face is flushed from the activity and I can only imagine mine is looking the same. I wished for once that I wasn't such a girl around him and didn't actually mind that I look like crap.

* * *

How is it that she can look so god damn gorgeous even after an eight mile run? Guess it is one of those mysteries of my crazy assassin partner, one of those mysteries that I am dying to know. She leans against her car and her chest heaves as she tries to get her breath back. She smiles at me and I loose all coherent thought.

"Breakfast?" She says. I take the plunge and go for what my heart (and actually, come to think of it, my head too) is telling me to do. I smile wickedly.

"I was thinking more along the lines of…this." I say as I move towards her.

* * *

As his hands frame my face and his mouth covers mine, my eyes go wide and my heart stops beating just for a second. As I relax and my hands pull him closer I decide that…maybe…I won't kill Abby on Monday.

* * *

Voila, hopefully now I can get back to my other piece!!!

Love ya

V!

xo


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